The present invention relates to a safety device for securing the primer pellet in ammunition in a locked position during non-firing conditions, and for releasing the primer pellet to an armed position under expected firing conditions.
The problem of securing ammunition such as projectiles, grenades, rockets, etc. is gaining in importance as new high performance explosives and weapon systems with increased ballistic efficiency are being developed. Also, the safety requirements have been increased. For example, the NATO MIL-STD (Military Standard) 1316B of Feb. 15, 1977 requires that at least two safety devices physically independent of each other must be provided in approved ammunition. This requirement has, until now, been difficult to fulfill, especially for projectiles with low spin. In practice, the second safety device has usually been omitted.
A known form of safety device has the primer mounted in a rotatable body or rotor with radial bores which are engaged by radial projections having a wedging effect. This safety combination insures that minor impacts during transportation will not cause unintentional detonation, and the unlocking of the primer to an armed position will occur only after the projectile has traversed a distance of about seven to fifteen meters from the mouth of the gun barrel. This known configuration is not considered to meet present safety requirements, since the arming of the primer occurs at too short a distance from the gun for safety.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a secure, electrically ignited arming device for ammunition which insures a higher degree of safety than has been provided heretofore, and can be used particularly for projectiles with low spin when fired. It is a particular object to provide a safety device that will lock the primer in an unarmed position if the firing acceleration forces are below normal, and that will remain operative even under conditions of substantial transverse accelerations.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety device for ammunition which prevents unlocking of the primer to an armed position under non-firing conditions such as accidental impacts during transportation or if the flight of the projectile is abnormally interrupted. A broad object of the invention to provide an ammunition safety device that is simple, economical, compact, and of great mechanical stability.